Donkey welfare adviser David Walsh was recently contacted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Mayo seeking assistance with a donkey welfare case in South Mayo.

Sixteen donkeys in very poor body condition were seized by the department and removed into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary. These neglected donkeys were abandoned in a field with no food and no access to water. Harsh winter weather conditions meant the field they were in was water logged. Alongside the live donkeys, the carcass of a dead donkey was also discovered.

Last New Year’s Eve a forlorn and neglected donkey took a few uncertain steps onto a trailer and to his new life in the care of The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland whose headquarters is based in Mallow, Co.Cork.

In the last few days of 2017, one of our Donkey Welfare Adviser’s responded to a call from a member of the public who was very concerned about a donkey with extremely long hooves.

Donkey welfare adviser, Jane Bruce attended the location to discover a donkey in a shocking state of neglect. The donkey’s hooves were at least three times the length of a normal hoof.

On Sunday May 20 we will hold a fabulous Summer Fair in our Open Farm in Knockardbane, Liscarroll, Mallow, Co.Cork. The Fair will include a fun dog show, music, fun, games like Hook a Duck, Sweet Wheel of Fortune and a Welly Throw Challenge, bouncy castles and lots more!

Our annual Teddy Bears' Picnic will take place on Thursday 5th July 2018 at our Open Farm at Knockardbane, Liscarroll, Mallow, Co.Cork. This eagerly awaited summer event is a not to be missed! Lots of fun and games guaranteed on the day.

Three female donkeys neglected and abandoned in North Belfast have been taken into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary.

The donkeys were originally brought to the attention of the charity by a concerned individual who was alarmed at the length and distortion of the donkeys’ hooves and the apparent lack of an owner as there was no sign of care and management being shown to the animals.

Recently I watched the first of the Paddington Bear movies. It features a young cartoon bear from Peru whose home is destroyed and who subsequently travels to London in search of a new home. Finding himself lost the story ends happily with the bear evading the evil taxidermist and being accepted into the Brown family. Paddington Bear has been around since it was first written in 1958 and the revival of this popular story appeals to children and those like me, not so young, who remember reading it when they were children too.